I find it painfully hypocritical that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) would suggest not giving communion to members of the church simply because of their stance on family planning. What about other members guilty of other “sins?” What about the politicos who steal from the people and still have the gall to show their faces at church every Sunday? That’s been going on for decades, and yet they pick this as a reason to kick somebody out? Why not also refuse to give communion to Gloria’s entourage who flew overseas just to watch Pacquiao’s bout, even as we were still reeling from Typhoon Frank’s aftermath?
Talk about double standards. While I don’t agree with Gabriela on many matters, I will side with their point that abortion happens simply because many women here have neither the financial nor the emotional means to care for their child. There are probably more reasons, but given our level of poverty, this is the most likely cause. If the church is so against abortion, then why don’t they care for the unwanted child? Or would they rather he or she grow in “a situation of sin,” where starvation and neglect will push them to resort to drastic actions just to stay alive?
I am angered especially because I am also a practicing Catholic. Since when did we end up with leaders with this backward thinking. Family planning does not equal anti-life. If anything, it ensures that the couple will have the means to properly care for their offspring.
As for the argument that sex education would lead to immoral acts, this flow of logic implies that reading about lock picking will also encourage us to commit thefts, or that reading about serial killers will turn us into murderers. Except that this doesn’t happen normally, unless the one reading is already mentally disturbed. This only reveals that the CBCP is selling their pulpit’s common sense and integrity short. We are smarter than that, and we certainly deserve better leaders than that.
-Antonio Yang III, Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila (via e-mail)
Loading ...
July 20th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
The basic needs of the population to consider their existence in this world as human are food, clothing, and shelter. Provisions for these basic needs are proportional to the composition of an ordinary family structure, i.e. the bigger the family, the more efforts to sustain these needs. This is in addition to providing the proper education and other social needs to enable each child to develop and become a responsible member of the society. As responsible parents, we have to realize the number of children we can support to give them the bright future out of the income we generate. Beyond our capability to raise our children properly, they become part of the problem rather than being assets of the society.
The root cause of population explosion as what is happening to our country having the highest rate of population growth of 2.3 % is ignorance on the part of the parents in general to properly manage their growth. In addition, this is also due the in-ability of the government to address this menace as there is resistance or interference from the religious blocks especially the Catholic Church. If there is an attempt by the government to initiate population control or management, this is interpreted as encouraging abortion as seen by the Church. We all know that there are other ways to control or manage excessive growth of the population other than abortion, but the Church is also against these methods.
The rate of 2.3 % population growth according to our economist will require at least 8 % in the growth of our economy to sustain the basic needs of the population in terms of employment.
We can only conclude that the present economic state of the Philippines will not achieve the rate of progress that happened to our neighbors in the region due to higher rate of population growth, graft and corruption in all government levels, and our country being a disaster prone area.
It is now a matter of government priority and political will to manage the population growth by any other means except abortion. We don’t need approval from the religious sector about this action as it is the government itself that has the broad responsibility to ensure that the entire population growth do no out pace the growth of our economy.
The Church should realize that supply and demand will dictate the stability of a nation. if the demand (due bigger population) is grater than supply, the costs of human needs can no longer be controlled favorably.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
To Jose Maria Alcasid: The church is NOT INFALLIBLE! If the church is infallible, the sun, and everything else, would have revolved from the earth.
Wake up Kiddo! If there’s one who’s gotta be excommunicated, it’s gotta be Gloria Arroyo! She’s as bad as it gets!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:37 am
To all priest/Nuns,
Dapat ang sariling ninyung problima/baho ang dapat ninyung linisin bago kayu makialam sa problima ng iba.
una, maraming pare na may kabit, asawa at anak. - ang masama pa ay na punta pa sa ROMA-italy.
Pangalawa, nagasawa at may anak na ngayun at pinabalik pa pagkapari.
Pangatlo, pari at madri nagasawa at ang masam pa ang kapatida na babai ng madri ay inasawa and kapatid at hiniwalayan ang madri.
ito ay nangyari mismo sa province namin at kilala kopa at malapit sa pamilya.
So- ano ang pagkakaiba ninyu sa politiko.
Ako at marami pang iba ay wala ng tiwal sa inyo, hangat hindi mag babago ang kaparian ay dadami ang ibang sekto na magpapayaman din.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Mr. Yang, can you pinpoint without reasonable doubt an unrepentant corrupt politician so the Church can refuse him the communion?
July 18th, 2008 at 4:33 am
what can you expect from the corrupt government official’s.